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The idea of making a whole chicken for dinner used to scare me. But then I realized that I make a giant turkey every year on Thanksgiving and that’s never been a problem so why am I scared of a little chicken? In fact whole chicken is one of the simplest dinners to make. The thing I especially love about this recipe that it uses chicken broth instead of butter or oil, so you still get a perfectly tender and juicy chicken without all the fat.
And I’ve never been a big fan of gravy, but I think it compliments the chicken perfectly. It’s also great on top of rice or vegetables or stuffing or whatever else you are serving with your chicken. I found myself pouring gravy over my entire plate because I liked it so much.
Garlic Roasted Chicken with Gravy
adapted from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook
Dinner | Servings: 4
Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 1 hour 30 min | Total time: 1 hour 55 min
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 lb. whole chicken
- 1 lemon, halved
- 1 onion, halved
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 tsp. salt (kosher/sea is best)
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch or arrowroot
- 3 tbsp. white wine
- 1 shallot, finely chopped (I omitted this)
- 1/4 tsp. dried sage
- 1/4 cup water
The Process
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees (F); spray a roasting pan with non-stick spray (if your roasting pan has a rack, spray that as well). Remove the giblets and neck. Rinse chicken inside and out under cold water; pat dry.
- Place the lemon, onion, rosemary, thyme, and 5 of the garlic cloves in the body cavity. Place the chicken, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Sprinkle with 1/4 tsp. of salt and pepper and rub it in a bit. Roast 30 minutes.
- Pour the broth and lemon juice over the chicken. Reduce the oven temp to 325 degrees. Roast for about an hour, basting every 10-15 minutes, until cooked through and the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced in the thickest part, and a thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 180 degrees. Transfer chicken to cutting board; let stand 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mince the remaining garlic clove. Pour the pan juices into a medium saucepan, skimming off any fat (there really wasn’t a lot so I didn’t bother) and reserving 1 tbsp. of the juices in a small bowl. Dissolve the cornstarch in the small bowl of reserved liquid. Add the wine, minced garlic, shallot, sage, 1/4 tsp. salt, and water to the saucepan; bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the dissolved cornstarch; cook, stirring constantly, until the gravy thickens, about 1 minute. Remove the lemon, onion, and herbs from the cavity and discard; carve the chicken and serve with gravy.
Note: Obviously, you’ll want to remove/not eat the skin if you’re trying to cut the most calories/fat, but otherwise leave it on because it’s yummy!
Nutrition info:
Serving size: 1/4 chicken with 1/4 cup gravy
Calories: 311
Fat: 12g
Carbohydrates: 4g
Fiber: 0
Protein: 45g
